South Africa's cash-strapped power utility Eskom could be forced to shut some plants if it fails to reduce emissions, its chief operating officer warned on Wednesday, raising the specter of further blackouts.

Sahu, who has 28 years of experience in air pollution consulting and engineering, reviewed hardcopy monthly monitoring reports from 17 Eskom coal and gas power stations from April 2016 through to December 2017.

South Africa's cash-strapped power utility Eskom could be forced to shut some plants if it fails to reduce emissions, its chief operating officer warned on Wednesday, raising the specter of further blackouts.

Sahu, who has 28 years of experience in air pollution consulting and engineering, reviewed hardcopy monthly monitoring reports from 17 Eskom coal and gas power stations from April 2016 through to December 2017.

Resident Lead Bender

I can understand why they did this ... but coming from a agency who has Saudi Arabia yapping on about human rights and sitting on the council there shows they have no credibility .... in my mind anyway.

Executive Member

They're not upgrading the existing plants emissions control equipment as per the commitments they made, ..... what is worse is the fact that they're not maintaining the existing emission control equipment.

Eskom says pollution reduction equipment at its biggest operational plant has not been working properly since early 2018.

The equipment, which cuts particulate emissions at the 4,116MW coal-fired Kendal power station in Mpumalanga province, began malfunctioning in early 2018. It was then damaged during a strike in July and August of that year.

The state-owned utility’s inability to curb pollution from its plants, which experts say kills hundreds of people a year, has prompted a lawsuit against the government from environmental activists because of the high pollution levels from Eskom and Sasol in Mpumalanga. SA’s emission limits are more lenient than those in China and India.

“Kendal power station is currently operating with very high particulate emissions,” Eskom said in an e-mailed response to questions. “The high emissions began at the beginning of last year.”

The delays in ensuring that Kendal complies with pollution standards are “unacceptable,” said Robyn Hugo, programme head for pollution and climate change at the Cape Town-based Centre for Environmental Rights, a legal organisation that represents environmental activists.

“For far too long, Eskom has run rough-shod over the rights of people affected by its pollution — our constitution demands that Eskom operate in compliance with the law,” she said.

Honorary Master

Leading economies such as Japan and Australia will not be invited to speak at next week’s crunch UN climate change summit, as their continued support for coal clashes with the demands of the organisation’s secretary-general as he sounds the alarm on climate change. Coal has emerged as a key issue ahead of Monday’s meeting in New York, where 63 countries are expected to speak, according to a draft schedule seen by the Financial Times.

However the summit is notable for those that will not appear: a number of countries building new coal power stations such as Japan and South Africa will not take the stage. Also excluded will be the US, which has said it intends to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, as well as Brazil and Saudi Arabia, which have criticised the climate pact.

Honorary Master

Honorary Master

They're not upgrading the existing plants emissions control equipment as per the commitments they made, ..... what is worse is the fact that they're not maintaining the existing emission control equipment.

Eskom says pollution reduction equipment at its biggest operational plant has not been working properly since early 2018.

The equipment, which cuts particulate emissions at the 4,116MW coal-fired Kendal power station in Mpumalanga province, began malfunctioning in early 2018. It was then damaged during a strike in July and August of that year.

The state-owned utility’s inability to curb pollution from its plants, which experts say kills hundreds of people a year, has prompted a lawsuit against the government from environmental activists because of the high pollution levels from Eskom and Sasol in Mpumalanga. SA’s emission limits are more lenient than those in China and India.

“Kendal power station is currently operating with very high particulate emissions,” Eskom said in an e-mailed response to questions. “The high emissions began at the beginning of last year.”

The delays in ensuring that Kendal complies with pollution standards are “unacceptable,” said Robyn Hugo, programme head for pollution and climate change at the Cape Town-based Centre for Environmental Rights, a legal organisation that represents environmental activists.

“For far too long, Eskom has run rough-shod over the rights of people affected by its pollution — our constitution demands that Eskom operate in compliance with the law,” she said.

Whilst I don’t want to be seen to be arguing with an Australian about Australia I’d just make the point they are invited to the event and will be attending, they just won’t be given a slot to make a speech.

Honorary Master

Whilst I don’t want to be seen to be arguing with an Australian about Australia I’d just make the point they are invited to the event and will be attending, they just won’t be given a slot to make a speech.

Honorary Master

Whilst I don’t want to be seen to be arguing with an Australian about Australia I’d just make the point they are invited to the event and will be attending, they just won’t be given a slot to make a speech.

In other countries that have coal power plants of the same era have retrofitted them with the latest emission control equipment making them a lot more environmentally friendly.

There's many smart places still operating their coal plants with upgraded emission control equipment that don't have the option of instantly switching to the "alternatives available" (green renewables).

Do you know of any non-retarded places that have switched from large scale coal power generation to other "alternatives available"?